Chapter 6: Meeting her gaze

Neither of them was able to say anything, most likely because the abruptness of the situation left them speechless.

What were they supposed to say in this situation anyway?

Mikumo looked around himself, noting nothing much but the seemingly endless dark void. Creepily, only he and the weird girl was visible in the darkness.

Empty and endless, the sight of it left him feeling suffocated.

But the most pressing problem is the girl opposite of him, as confusion laced in with her gaze.

In hindsight, it wasn't hard to figure out who she was.

"Kakiru?" Mikumo asked skeptically, he could be wrong but it is unlikely. The chances of this are 87,67%

Either way, the way the girl's eyes widen ever slightly confirmed it.

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could even get out a word, the space suddenly cracked.

They both stopped as the cracks grew wider. Then everything exploded into a blinding light.

And Mikumo opened his eyes once again.

To say it was surreal? It was an understatement.


Mikumo went through his newly-developed routine like usual, researching what he knew and what he had yet to know.

Alas, he found nothing in correlation with that phenomenal. So far, it was just there, a mystery shrouded completely for him to dissect, to figure out.

Even with his analysis, it was impossible to figure out something that he didn't know anything about in the first place.

He didn't realize how much time has passed until the librarian practically yanked him out of his stupor.

After a series of half-hearted apologies, Mikumo went back home with the question still lingering in his mind.

Well, back to the junkyard that he called home, anyway.


After an uneventful night, he woke up to the sun trickling down his face.

Last night, Mikumo figured out some information.

Apparently, he couldn't stay awake at night. As much as he tried, it was like his body tried to shut down as soon as the night came. He could resist, but it was useless in the end. Darkness claimed him either way, only for him to wake up as if nothing happened.

He wasn't supposed to be conscious at night, it seemed.

That wasn't the only thing he found though since he did leave a message last night.

'Blond. Red eyes and yellow rings around irises. Is that you?'

He got 'yes' for an answer. It can be a coincidence, but fat chance that is.

He still needs confirmation for other things, though. So once again, he called out the name 'Kakiru'.

Darkness then swallowed him whole.


Being in the void again didn't feel so uncomfortable. Perhaps it just needed some time to get used to.

That was beside the point, however. Because right now, Mikumo felt as if he was melting under the girl's gaze.

"It's you again…" The girl finally said, her eyes narrowed scrutiny

"You must be Kakiru." Mikumo stated

"Then I'm supposed you are the guy that has been leaving me questions on the board?" Her tone was aloof, but her expression was anything but that.

"Yes."

The girl narrowed her eyes, wariness was clear in her posture.

"…why did you bring me here?"

"It was not my intention." He replied, looking around the empty space "But I was looking for some answers. Your identity was necessary for me to confirm something." He explained truthfully

"And what was it?"

"The fact that we shared the same body."

"…what?" She finally said in exasperation

Before he could elaborate, though, the void cracked, and Mikumo woke up again.

This is going to be a problem, isn't it?


It would be safe to assume the time they could interact with each other was limited. Whether he could raise the gauge remained to be unseen, but he could try.

And it indeed could.

The first meeting only left them with time barely enough for a few lines, but eventually, they reached the point of a full conversation.

The girl, she must be a girl, taking into consideration her voice, and the fact that she didn't deny it anyway, was a mysterious personality that existed alongside him.

She was interesting, to say the least.


This was one of their many conversations when Mikumo began to get acquainted with the girl. They finally got around to introducing themselves, and the tense feeling when both of them met has begun to dissipate.

He couldn't say he knew much, but he could see that they were different in every way. It was unnerving to see it because they were supposed to be just personalities residing in the same host.

But no they weren't. It would be so simple if that was the case, but this quirk was much more complicated than that.

It took them many attempts to see eye to eye because of it. And for that maniac to finally sit down to discuss.

"So you are saying that we're just personalities that shared the same body? Really?" Kakiru asked, scratching her head in confusion.

She was skeptical, that's for sure. But she needs to know extensive information, courtesy of sharing the same body

"That's the theory. You are only conscious at night, aren't you?" He inquired

A look of realization flashed on her face. Skepticism was soon replaced with silent acknowledgment as her eyes hardened.

It was brief, but that was the sign that something caught her attention, and she was beginning to get serious.

"And I'm only conscious during the day. That meant we joint control this body, and this body's need reflect that." He continued as she took in the information, contemplating its nature

"Like when you didn't eat, and I got hungry instead. We both are in control." She finally responded

"Precisely."

"That isn't quite right. Why did this only happen recently?" The maniac asked

"That-" Mikumo sighed, hesitation in his voice "I believed that the person controls this body before us…died."

"That is…impossible?" He could sense the shock practically bled off her then.

"In this age of quirks? Nay. It was not impossible at all, merely complicated." Mikumo said, expression grim "As far as I know, it only happened once with the main control. Our body got revived somehow, and I get to control it more than ever. Fully conscious for the first time. But there was no guarantee that it would happen again. Maybe there is a fail-safe that will keep this quirk alive, but we shouldn't push our luck."

His inquiry, luckily, shut down any ideas swarming the maniac's head

"And I suppose we weren't allowed to harm each other anyway."

As if proving his point, he sprinted at the maniac. She looked alarmed but was unfazed when his hands went right through her.

"This quirk would be shit otherwise. Imagine it."

"Pft. The last thing I wanted to do would be to try to choke the life out of you inside this enclosed space." She laughed light-heartedly

"I suppose so."

"What's…erm, his quirk supposed to be, anyway?"

"I believed Izuku Midoriya might have one of the most sophisticated and powerful quirks in the world. The power to create personalities with quirks attributed to their own, not just aspects of it." He explained

Truly, this quirk carried with it many unknowns and risks. But the mystery was always something standing in the way of an analyst.

"But that's not all, is it?" She raised her brow

"I have theories, but it was near impossible, and not something I could prove lightly."

"Elaborate."

"The fact we have different appearances, although sharing the same body, is alarming. Aside from the freckle, our eyes and hair color were different. I supposed our quirk played a role in this." He said vigorously "I had a quirk, which I called Analysis. It allowed me to calculate probability and analyze the environment around me at hyper-speed. Having a quirk like this likely made my brain more adapted to take in more information that normal people can't process. I believed it must change the structure of my brain in order to do so."

"Is that so? I supposed I could tell you about what I knew. Only discovered it recently, but better than nothing, right?" She laughed to herself "Called mine Blood Detonation. Discovered it by accident. It made my blood explode if I focus on it."

"Isn't that harmful to your body?"

"Oh! Forgot about that, but apparently, it provided me with this factor that closed the gash on my body if I got hurt, otherwise, I might bleed to death." She responded apologetically

"That was interesting. But I supposed that is quirk adaptation."

"Anything else that brain of yours already processed?"

"I noticed your teeth are sharp. I don't have that." He mused "And remember the blood sample I requested from you? Apparently, inside your blood is a highly flammable, combustible substance. The thing is, it doesn't exist inside my blood, and we are supposed to share the same body."

"That was confusing? It's like…we shared this body but at the same time independent in our own way?" The maniac asked, apparently confused

"That was what I'm coming to, yeah. I think this quirk changes this body to suit the personality in control. Some level of biological change, mutations in order to fit our quirks." Mikumo explained, "Technically, we could have another personality with a more extreme mutation, and it wouldn't concern both of us."

"Can't say my brain processed all of that but…isn't that a good thing? I can't imagine myself with a tail, wings, or scales. Nothing against people with mutations, but I'm already used to my body like this." The maniac sighed, apparently not fond of that line of thought.

"Again, this's just a theory. But it would be safe to assume if this quirk provided each of us with quirks of our own, then it would provide us with the means to use it, too. As far as we know, this quirk's potential is limitless." He pointed out

"Isn't this quirk overpowered then? Are we super strong?" She jumped in excitement

"I don't believe so." Mikumo said, contemplating "The potential is endless. But only one personality can take control at a time. When you take control, you can't use Analysis and vice versa. In fact, it can also be burdensome to maintain a double life."

"Now that I think about it…" She deflated almost immediately

"This is the most solid theory I can make. But nothing is concrete until we got more information."

"I suppose so." Kakiru said, "Now, what do we do my dear analyst?"

"…call me Mikumo." He responded in a not-so-delightful tone "I believe all we can do now is move on with our life."

"I don't have a life."

"That sound like your problem, not mine." He said bitterly

"We shared the same body, asshole."

"Mikumo." He was feeling practically prickly, so why not?

"Fuck you." She rolled her eyes

As much as he adored having this conversation, he could sense their time was coming to an end.

"Remember to eat regularly. I usually forget to do that." Okay, he admitted that was petty of him to say that, but that maniac deserved it for wrecking this body on her nightly adventure.

"You little shit, be more responsible." She growled in annoyance

"That's rich coming from you. You don't seem like the type to take responsibility. At all." Mikumo sassed, but her expression soon melted into one of composure "In exchange, though, I will notify you when I find out more information since this concerns both of us since the nature of this quirk is pretty much still unknown."

"Can you at least tell me how to get both of us here, then?"

"I think calling each others' name would do the trick. Still needed confirmation, but you can do that the next time you're in control. This night, to be precise."

"Really don't look forward to it." She sighed

"Get used to it then. We will be meeting each other regularly from now on."

"I get it, I get it. Now do whatever you want. I'm tired and I need sleep."

"Until next time, Kakiru."

Then the void start to crack, and Mikumo woke up to the blindly bright light.


Kakiru might not be Mikumo's type of person.

Frankly speaking, she was annoying.

She was almost the opposite of Mikumo, which wasn't warranted or appreciated.

Mikumo wants silence for his analysis and research, while Kakiru is hyperactive and can hardly handle doing anything for more than 1 minute.

She can get angry over the silliest of things. Like tripping over a rock when she got control, or the food was too cold for her liking.

However, she could be surprisingly caring. His lack of awareness for his personal health as he basically worked himself throughout the day, starving himself in the process, annoyed her so much that he swore she would slap him if she could. That was rare and sudden, but still.

Although, he believed that was because they shared the same body, so his starving himself actually affected her. Her manic attitude made it hard to be taken seriously, though.

Worst still, sometimes even insanity bled into her speaking, too.

The memory of Kakiru widen her eyes for a sec before snorting in amusement

Her voice was sickly sweet as her eyes bore into him setting a shiver up his spine.

Yeah, that was definitely scary.

He also noticed how intuitive she could be. She must have quite an instinct, which may be explained why she was so good at fighting. Remember she could take out 6 guys at once? That was when she barely figured out her quirk.

If only that strength was coupled with a logical mind, instead of sticking her nose into every squabble off the street.

Why did he say that? Well, apparently, someone has been picking fights she wasn't supposed to. Kakiru's fight left her opponents injured enough to warrant a police case.

And why did she do that? Apparently, the bastard did it just for the thrill. Sure, she saved some random person along the way but was much more trouble than it was worth.

"Oops. Guess I went overboard." She answered aloofly, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face

"Overboard? Half of them got broken limbs. One even had half his face melted off. This is criminal!" He yelled in exasperation

"Oh relax, none of them died, right? Besides, I did well. They were mugging a defenseless girl, and I saved the day." She pointed at herself proudly, blissfully unaware of the shit she could brew with that attitude

"I had the feeling you were just looking for a fight." He squinted his eyes

"You said as if I'm heartless, but you were the one that always wore that poker-face expression." She snarled back in annoyance

"…"

"See! You can't even make a come-back!"

"I just felt like it would be a waste of my energy. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't get us killed." He sighed, deciding that his mind would be better off not dealing with this so early in the morning.

"Aw, so you do care after all!" She smiled

"I don't." He answered coldly, but it lacked any sort of bite to be threatening

Perhaps she rubbed off of him, after all. He began to feel the crazy things around him started to become the norm for him.

Apparently, interacting regularly with a maniac did that to him.

But believe it or not, she was the perfect counterbalance to his apathy. It reminded him how humans are supposed to be, not the perfect emotionless computer.

Well, maybe too human for his liking, but beggar can't be chooser.

Meanwhile, though, that smug grin on her face still throw him off.


It has become a routine for both of them to meet up like this.

Despite sharing the same body and varying degrees of control, he could tell that they both didn't know much about each other's life.

Sure, Mikumo sometimes came across cases about a vigilante, that was dubbed to be extremely violent and volatile in personality. A presumably female, with an explosive quirk.

Fittingly, she was called by the cutthroat she defeated by the name Maniac. Simple and on point, something Mikumo could get under.

While reckless, what she was doing at night was frankly not his business. Mikumo had his job to do. And Kakiru was perfectly capable to defend herself from some nameless thugs anyway.

Mikumo got his job recently, as an online quirk analyst. He analyzed people's quirks, pointed out their weaknesses, and suggested how to improve their own quirks. However, he would be an idiot if he did all that for free.

He had to get by somehow.

It was not much, but enough to rent them an apartment.

Kakiru could stand living in a junkyard, but Mikumo needed a decent environment for his analysis. Preferably with a wifi connection, since using a library computer could be an unnecessary risk sometimes.

The apartment he rented for both of them was a shady one obscured in an area with a high crime rate, but getting to the place was easy. No burdensome document, no adult sticking their nose into where they don't belong, and relatively secretive. A decent place for their hideout.

As long as they didn't do anything too flashy.


Sometimes, they talked about events in each other's life. Just to make sure neither of them was in deep with something. Besides, it was enlightening, to experience something from another perspective.

Kakiru was still annoying as usual, but he has gotten used to most of it at this point. Sometimes, she still got on his nerve, though. Something Mikumo didn't appreciate.

Either way, despite the chaos literally happening in his mind, their life was kind of stabilizing at this point. More time for him to do his work is always a win.

He still research the mysterious quirk Izuku possessed, but so far nothing concrete on his part.

Time like this was when Mikumo decided to get on with his hobby: Analyzing quirks.

There was no shortage of heroes and villains with quirks exciting enough for him to dissect and analyze. It was pretty enjoyable.

He even got permission from that maniac to analyze her quirk. He could say that it was exciting to analyze Kakiru's quirk, even if she was reluctant to give him information about it.

So he resorted to bribery. A whole month's investment of ice cream for her, the petty brat, allowed his curiosity to be sated.

Life went on surprisingly well for both of them.

But sharing a body came with its fair share of problems, sometimes.

The fact that it could be inconvenient was something Mikumo has predicted from the start.

Both of them couldn't intervene with the other's actions directly. Completely in the blind, if the other didn't say anything. So if for example, that maniac got herself captured for whatever reason, he would wake up knowing nothing, and probably in deep with her mess.

He also discovered that this body had limitations, also. He figured out that exhaustion would catch up to them without rest for a week. Which meant this body was flexible, but not infallible. If they didn't get the rest needed, the body would pass out, and both of them would feel like shit afterward.

It was bad enough that both of them agreed to get enough rest afterward, not wanting this to happen again.

Finally, a bit personal, but that maniac was a pain to deal with sometimes.

Because despite his warning, she managed to get into a fight with a hero. A fucking pro hero.

Apparently, it happened before they even met, and she had the gall to do it again. She said it wasn't her fault, but Mikumo could smell bullshit from miles away with that excuse.

But alas, there was nothing he could do. Still, it got on his nerve so badly.

Damn it all.


It wasn't reassuring seeing her so happy like this. That crazed glint on her face sent him to chill.

"Oh come on, little bro! Don't get mad, you hear?" She smiled effortlessly in his scrutiny gaze

"I'm not your little brother. And am I supposed to be relieved when you literally picked a fight with a pro hero? If you get caught, we are fucked." He gritted his teeth

"It was a misunderstanding, really. Look, I even apologized, and the guy seemed to be pretty chill about it. He even offered to teach me martial art!" The maniac turned around with a laugh

"Wait. Seriously?" Okay, that took him off guard. A bit. Probably.

"Did I ever lie to you, little bro?" He sighed deeply at that annoying tone of voice.

But if she somehow managed that, perhaps they could still get on with their life after all.

"…I will give you the benefit of the doubt. For now." He relented

"And it will be appreciated, little bro." She grinned, and her eyes glinted "Now, how about that batch of ice cream you promised me?"

"…in the fridge. Eat sparingly, or I won't buy you anything next time."

"You are the best!" She exclaimed cheerfully

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Be less reckless."

"I will try." She said sheepishly

He sighed internally. Seems like this chaos will stick for a very long time.

Hopefully, that maniac won't get both of them killed before she learned some self-restraint.

Will it matter in the end? Perhaps not, but he desperately needed some peace of mind.